Medieval stained glass

<p>
Medieval stained glass is the colored and painted glass of <a href="/facts/Middle_Ages/RqzEKB9v">medieval Europe</a> from the 10th century to the 16th century. For much of this period <a href="/facts/Stained_glass/oUCut2Mc">stained glass</a> windows were the major pictorial art form, particularly in <a href="/facts/France_in_the_Middle_Ages/3trzjuzL">northern France</a>, <a href="/facts/Holy_Roman_Empire/6mdobnXN">Germany</a> and <a href="/facts/England_in_the_Middle_Ages/XFS67p7P">England</a>, where windows tended to be larger than in southern Europe (in <a href="/facts/Italy/tUf0PDYF">Italy</a>, for example, <a href="/facts/Fresco/oj49kcQa">frescos</a> were more common). In some countries, such as <a href="/facts/Medieval_stained_glass_in_Sweden/jHDMl6dV">Sweden</a> and England, only a small number of original stained windows have survived to this day.
</p><p>Stained glass windows were used predominantly in churches, but were also found in wealthy domestic settings and public buildings such as town halls, though surviving examples of secular glass are rather rare in comparison. Stained glass windows were used in churches to enhance their beauty and to inform the viewer through narrative or symbolism. The subject matter was generally religious in churches, though "portraits" and <a href="/facts/Heraldry/cmkn0H85">heraldry</a> were often included, and many narrative scenes give valuable insights into the medieval world. 
</p>

Medieval stained glass open-in-new

Medieval stained glass